1963 – Tipperary Headin’ for Snowmageddon

The Tipperary Star, 5 January 1963

January 1963 was the coldest of the 20th Century. By the turn of the New Year the country’s usual mild Atlantic regime had been replaced by a bitter East wind, the prolonged presence of which often results in dumpings of snow. 15 feet of snow was recorded in the higher areas of Wicklow and Wexford, and before the bells had finished heralding the arrival of 1963 Tipperary was also smothered under a freezing blanket. It snowed on and off for the next two weeks, and all the while the country was buffeted by strong, bone-chilling East winds. By the middle of the month the winds eventually dropped, and along with it the temperature. And then there was some more snow. Mercifully, February was a very dry month and eventually, by the time March came around, the country began to clamber its way out of the freezer and milder temperatures finally established themselves. The snows at the start of 1963 then took its place with 1886, 1917 and the paradoxically named “Black ‘47” as one of the most severe weather events in Irish history.